It’s time to walk the dog. Your feet shuffle toward the door signaling Fido’s conscious return from the ethereal pursuit of yet another waskawy wabbit.

The opening closet door spurs the unveiling of coloured glass as it slides sleepily toward the sound of freedom.

With the ruffling of your jacket, the beast is fully awake, its head propped to attention, ears pricked, mind alert and limbs poised for propulsion.

But it’s the rattling of the keys that sends your furry sidekick into full blown convulsions.

A writhing torso, bucking behind, tail whipping the air in random fury and a dripping tongue dangling from a caricature smile makes even the darkest day seem tolerable.

At this point, your dog’s entire existence is centred around the compulsion to get somewhere, and get there fast!

“Gotta go!”

“Gotta pee!”

“Gotta poo!”

“Gotta run!”

“Gotta play!”

The last thing on his mind is how he is going to feel once he crosses the threshold into frigid weather conditions. This is when your dog relies on you to do the thinking for him.

Although some dogs like Huskies and St. Bernard’s are genetically equipped to withstand the cold and biting wind, most dogs are not. The ability to properly insulate and protect themselves from potentially dangerous winter conditions is written into a dog’s genetic blueprint. But, when a dog is kept indoors, that ability is compromised and thrown out of whack.

As the days get shorter and the temperatures drop, some dogs will naturally grow what amounts to a furry onesie to guard against the cold. But, when a dog spends the majority of its time indoors, its fur-manufacturing mechanism gets scrambled.

If a dog stays in an environment that registers room temperature for 22 out of 24 hours a day, his body doesn’t see the need to beef up the outerwear. But, when he heads out into colder temperatures, his fur factory kicks into hyper mode, only to shut down again when he comes indoors.

Environmental factors that affect how a dog feels in colder temperatures are wind chill, dampness (fog), cloud cover and level of activity.

So, you know that thing when your dog suddenly springs to life and bounds like a seasoned athlete when the snow flies? Well, that’s partly because most dogs love snow! It’s also because that’s how dogs stay warm.

The hilarity of dog versus congealed precipitation is all well and good, but the question remains, how is all the fun and frenzy affecting your dog’s wellbeing?